A Tale of Time
by Adventure-Seeking-Juliet
Summary: Belle's attempted escape from the Evil Queen's dungeon sends her spiraling through time, right into the arms of a cowardly spinner, only weeks before he leaves for the Ogre Wars. TimeTravelAu for tripleagent's picture prompt.
1. Running

**A Tale of Time**

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: During one of the few hours I have free time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or Rumbelle...

A/N Belle's attempted escape from the Evil Queen's dungeon sends her spiraling through time, right into the arms of a cowardly spinner, only days before he leaves for the Ogre Wars. TimeTravelAu for _tripleagent_'s picture prompt.

You can find _said_ prompt /post/22026738775/prompts

I hope you enjoy~

**Part One- Running**

* * *

Belle leaned on a tree next to her, breathing heavily. She had been running for hours, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Evil Queen's prison as she could.

But she was_ tired_-soon she would have to stop running.

She had been trapped in the queen's dungeon for only two weeks, and she had never felt so weak in her life.

She had _no_ means of protecting herself once she did escape. Belle could only hope to run into a kind-hearted soul who could give her shelter.

But the woods stretched on for as far as her eyes could see, and she was _alone._

There was a rustling sound a few feet behind her, and Belle struggled forward, determined to save herself. She did not need a knight in shining armor to save her...

or a golden-skinned goblin to whisk her away...

_No._ Belle would save herself, like any other hero.

She took a few more stumbling steps, pulling her tarnished travelling cloak tighter around her, _then she heard another sound. _

Voices.

They were deep and rumbling- like men. _Regina's soldiers were gaining on her._

* * *

Regina's back was turned away from her men. She was studying the newest heart in her collection.

There was a cough from behind her, and Regina knew one her soldiers was awaiting _the call._

They had been tracking that _stupid girl_ for the past half hour, the only reason she was still alive was because Regina had yet to giver the order.

The killing order.

There was really no point, Regina had Belle's heart. No matter where she went, Regina could destroy her.

"Will you be joining us, m'lady?"

Regina turned to her highest ranking officer, hiding the heart behind her back" I will be there shortly. Bring the girl back under any means necessary, but do _not_ kill her."

The guard seemed confused," What shall we do to her, then, your highness?"

"_Make her wish she was dead."_

Regina dismissed the guard with a wave of her hand, then returned her attention back to the heart lying in front of her.

What an interesting situation- Regina had the heart of Rumpelstiltskin's _true love_ in her hands.

It would be so easy to break it. To kill Belle...but she could have s_o much more_ fun if she played with the little girl.

"What kind of deal would you make for _her_, Rumpel?" Regina whispered, running one crooked nail down the center of Belle's heart.

Regina grinned as a tiny trickle of blood oozed from the girl's heart.

She held it in her hand-_and squeezed._

"Let's see how fast you can run now,_ Belle_."

* * *

A pressure latched on to Belle's heart, and her legs collapsed beneath her.

Her small hands immediately went to her chest, but nothing could stop the terrible feeling that was spreading through her.

It was like a hand had clamped down on her heart. She couldn't breathe...and she was dizzy.

The voices were growing louder, and she thought she could hear them shouting out to her now.

But, despite the agonizing pain in her chest, Belle crawled to her feet.

_She had to keep moving._

She took a few more fumbling steps, gasping with the effort.

Then the Queen's voice, enhanced by some form of magic, came booming though the forest," _If you run like a deer, you will be killed like one."_

Belle gritted her teeth, but the pressure around her heart had ceased.

She lurched forward, running blindly around the trees.

Her head was spinning...and Regina was cackling...and her men were yelling...

That was when Belle_ saw it._

It was unlike anything she had seen before. It was shimmering- tinted with colors of blue and black.

It was a portal, hidden amongst the trees. Belle skidded to a halt, only a few feet away from the glowing mass.

She couldn't see where it led, but anywhere had to be better than the_ prison_ she had escaped from.

Belle took one last breath.

"Do not take a step closer," Regina's voice rang out, feral and shrill.

Belle smiled to herself...and_ casually,_ took one step forward, and vanished.

* * *

A/N So, this story is going to be interesting. I have it all planned out, kind of, for once. Please review?

**If you would like to prompt me, please private message me your prompt or leave it in a review! I'll take anything from summaries, to songs, to pictures, to short phrases.**


	2. Waking

**A Tale of Time**

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: While I should be doing math homework and other such things.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time or Rumbelle.

A/N Much thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! I'm very sorry to keep you waiting...life got out of control...then I was shell-shocked by the finale. But anyway, here we are. I also used some dialogue from the finale in this chapter...I hope you enjoy~

**Part Two~ Waking**

* * *

When Belle awoke, her clothes were soaking wet from morning dew, and her head was pounding.

She stood, using a tree to brace herself. She couldn't remember her landing after jumping into the portal, but she could only guess it hadn't been very gentle.

Her cloak was torn, the formerly beautiful green and gold tints had turned an ugly brown from mud. Her dress, which had already been in tatters, was scarcely covering _anything._

And her shoes were missing. Belle could only imagine what her face and hair looked like.

She would probably scare innocent townsfolk were she to ask for help, but it was her only option. Belle had no idea where she was, or if she was even in the same land she had been before.

The forest looked much like the other one, but it wasn't as dense, and in the early morning sunlight, Belle could easily make out the outline of a dirt road.

Using her cloak to cover up what her dress couldn't, Belle followed the road. It looked well worn, despite the lack of travelers, and she assumed that it must lead to a village.

_Hopefully, a friendly one_...which could possibly give her directions to the Dark Castle.

She trudged on for most of the morning, stopping every few minutes to rest her bruised muscles. At the rate she was going, Belle worried she would pass out from exhaustion before seeing another living soul on the road.

The morning dew had dried by the time she found herself collapsing at the side of the road, too tired to go on.

Her head was pounding, and when she tried to sit up, the edges of her vision would turn black.

So she sat there, hoping that if anyone bothered to see her, they would be kind- not cruel.

Her eyes closed, but Belle didn't realize they had until she was awakened by a gentle shake.

"Hello? Are you alright?" It was a man's voice, frightened and shocked.

But the voice was kind.

Belle struggled to open her eyes, which seemed decidedly bent on clamping shut.

"If you can hear me, please open your eyes," the voice asked again.

Belle forced her eyes open, gasping for breath. She hated feeling so helpless as to leave her life in the hands of a strange man she didn't know...but her choices were limited.

The light blinded her for a second, restricting her vision, but then she saw him.

His eyes were a deep brown, so dark that they seemed black...and his skin was human...

But there was no mistaking the man she was looking at.

"Rumpelstiltskin."

He looked so young...so different, yet he was still the same man. Her true love, before he became the beast. Belle was sure she was dreaming.

How could it be possible?

His brow wrinkled in confusion," Do I know you?"

Belle smiled," No, but you will."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned at her," What's your name, dearie?"

"_Belle."_

She watched as her vision turned black again, leaving the image of a young and shocked Rumpelstiltskin burned into her memory, forever.

* * *

When Belle next awoke, she was in a warm bed, a luxury she hadn't had since leaving the Dark Castle.

The bed wasn't nearly as soft as the one she had used at the Castle...and the sheets were crisp and rough, not silky satin, but Belle hadn't felt so comfortable in ages.

Her eyes opened easily this time, but she still was too weak to move much. Her head still ached miserably, and she could feel the beginnings of a bad cough coming on from lying on the wet ground for so long.

But her clothes had been changed- her tattered dress and cloak had been swapped for a plain white dress which was slightly too large...

_but she was warm._

The room she was in was very small, with only a bed, a mirror, and a chest. There was a tiny fireplace to her right, which seemed to be the reason the room was so warm...

Just as she was trying to sit up, to better investigate her surroundings, the door swung open.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were awake. I'll leave you-"

"No, wait," Belle said, stopping him mid-sentence," It's perfectly fine. I don't mind."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded awkwardly, still standing as far away from the bed as possible.

After a few minutes of silence, Belle tried again, "I want to thank you. For saving me."

He waved a hand in dismissal," You don't have to thank me. I...felt like I needed to help you."

Belle smiled at him," Well, either way, I'm glad that you did. Oh, and thank you for um- changing my clothes. They were ruined by the mud, I'm afraid."

" Oh, I," Rumpelstiltskin's cheeks flamed red at her comment," I didn't change you...I promise, I asked a woman from the village to help me."

Belle laughed, almost surprised by his modesty. It was hard to believe that this Rumpelstiltskin couldn't be much older than herself.

"It's fine, thank you for everything. I hope I'm not causing too much trouble for you and your family-"

"Don't worry, it's just me here. It's no trouble really, I live alone, so there's plenty of room," He replied, his cheeks still tinged pink from embarrassment.

"You're not married?" Belle asked, feeling awkward herself. Had Rumpelstiltskin not told her he'd had a son and a wife?

"No, not quite," He chuckled," But if you'll excuse me, I'll go fetch you something to eat, you must be starving."

He all but ran from the room, leaving Belle alone to her thoughts.

* * *

A/N So here ya go...finally fought past my writer's block, and I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter. Tell me what you think?


	3. Sable

**A Tale of Time**

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: Listening to Sea Wolf

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or anything else of that nature.

A/N Much thanks to my wonderful reviewers! I hope you continue to enjoy this story...and I hope you continue to review as frequently as you have been.

**Part Three~ Sable**

* * *

Belle waited for Rumpelstiltskin to return with her food for what felt like hours.

There wasn't much to do in the empty room as she waited...she wasn't strong enough to move around, and there was nothing at all interesting about the wooden walls of the room.

There was a small stack of books next to the trunk, but in her weakened state, Belle knew it would be hopeless to try to reach them herself. So, she had planned to ask Rumpelstiltskin if he could move them closer to her when he returned...but his returning was taking a lot more time than she had expected.

And Belle wasn't as patient as she liked for people to believe.

She pushed herself up further against the pillows, craning her neck to get a good look at the stack of books. There were four piled on top of the trunk- all of them so old and worn that the covers were either missing or illegible.

Belle struggled forward, gasping when her arms shook underneath her weight. She folded the covers back, and leaned forward just far enough to reach the book at the top of the stack.

Just as she grabbed the first book, a deep cough shuddered through her, making her body shake.

The cough turned into a string of coughs, and when she drew her arms back to her sides, she sent the entire stack of books tumbling to the floor.

She winced at the loud sound, knowing Rumpelstiltskin would hear the ruckus and be disturbed from whatever he was doing...

As if on cue, he came running through the door, worry lining his face," _Belle?_ What happened? Are you okay?"

He ran to her side, and helped her lie back in the bed, even as another set of coughs racked her body.

She nodded, unable to speak.

"_What were you doing?_ Surely you know you're not yet strong enough to try to get of bed!"

Belle smiled at his cross-sounding words, it reminded her more of the Rumpelstiltskin she had known at the Dark Castle- even when he was trying to show that he cared, he had sounded cross.

"I was trying to reach for the books," Belle explained, fighting back the coughs. Her voice was still very weak, but he heard her.

"The books?" Rumpel turned back to the fallen stack of books," All you had to do was call for me and I would have brought them to you, Belle."

"I was going to wait for you to come back with the food before I asked, but-"

"Oh no," He collapsed onto the bed, next to her," I completely forgot about your food! I'm so sorry, Sable came to visit and I was distracted, I'll go and fetch it right now-"

He jumped from the bed, but Belle caught his wrist," What is _Sable_?"

Rumpelstiltskin was silent for a moment, staring at Belle's hand on his wrist. Belle followed his gaze, and quickly released him, trying to ignore the tingling in her fingers.

He shook himself,"_ Uh- Sable_. Yes, she's my fiancee. Have the two of you not been introduced?"

Belle's heart plummeted in her chest," No. We haven't."

"Well then, I'll be back in just a minute, and I'll introduce you."

Belle was left staring after his retreating form, wishing he had at least handed her the book she wanted.

Instead, Rumpelstiltskin busted into the room a few minutes later with a tray of food on one arm, and a lady on the other.

He set her meal down in front of her- a steaming bowl of soup and a chunk of bread.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you more, but I'm running low on supplies." He apologized, looking forlorn.

Belle ignored Sable and smiled at him," It's no problem, I understand. It smells wonderful."

"It is..._Sable_ made it, actually. I'm not much of a cook." He gestured toward the woman on his right.

Sable couldn't have been any more different from Belle.

She was tall, so much so, that in her heels, she was a few inches taller than Rumpelstiltskin himself. Belle knew that if she would have been standing, Sable would have dwarfed her.

So, she sat up taller in bed, trying to appear as regal as she possibly could.

Whereas Belle's hair was a soft brown and her eyes a light blue, Sable had striking black hair and eyes the color of ink, reminding Belle of the Evil Queen.

"Hello, Belle. I've heard much about you," Sable inclined her head, smiling sweetly.

Belle tried to swallow her jealousy," I wish I could say the same of you, Sable. Thank you so much for everything...this food is simply delicious."

She flashed Rumpelstiltskin an annoyed look. Was it so hard for him to tell her he was engaged?

Sensing the tension in the room, Rumpelstiltskin nodded toward the door," I think it's best if we leave Belle to rest."

Sable waited until he had turned away before smirking at Belle," Yes. She must be very tired from her_ long_ journey."

With one last glare, Sable turned to leave, gently touching Rumpelstiltskin's back as they exited.

They shut the door, leaving Belle to stare at the bowl of stew on her lap in annoyance.

_She wasn't hungry any more._

* * *

_A/N _I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There will be more explained about Sable in the following chapter. Review?


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